A food chain shows us how living things depend on each other as sources of food.
There are lots of different food chains. A plant or animal can be part of more than one food chain.
Plants often appear in food chains as they are a food source for lots of different animals.
Plants use sunlight to make their own food. This creates energy for them to grow, reproduce and survive. Plants are called producers.
Different animals have different diets.
An animal that only eats plants is known as a herbivore. Cows, sheep, goats and horses are all herbivores.
An animal that only eats meat from other animals is known as a carnivore. Polar bears, lions, hyenas and eagles are all carnivores.
An animal that eats both plants and meat is known as an omnivore. Foxes, hedgehogs, badgers and humans are omnivores.
When drawing a food chain, the arrow shows how the energy is being passed along the chain. For example, the arrow pointing from some berries to a mouse means the berries gives energy to the mouse when eaten. In turn, the arrow pointing from the mouse to the owl means that the mouse gives energy to the owl when eaten.
According to the National Curriculum Science objectives, children start to learn about food chains in KS1. It is assigned as compulsory learning in Year 2 under the 'Living things and their habitats' strand of learning.
In Year 2, children should learn to:
